Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005
Shoshone, ID – The National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today released the Proposed Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. According to John Apel, Acting NPS Monument Superintendent, the Proposed Plan reflects changes made to the Draft Management Plan/EIS (released in April 2004), following public comment analysis and consultation with Tribal governments and collaboration with state and local governments and agencies. “The Proposed Plan is a result of more than three years of meaningful public involvement and collaborative effort to prepare one, comprehensive management plan for the Monument. “We received comments on the four alternative management strategies, each representing a different approach to resolving issues such as visitor use and public safety, level of development, transportation and access, and the management of cultural and natural resources,” Apel noted. “We considered these comments as we developed the Proposed Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, which when finalized will serve as the Monument’s guiding management strategy.”
The key components of the Proposed Plan include:
•Promoting the use of partnerships at off-site facilities such as visitor centers and state parks to provide Monument information and interpretation •Emphasizing the protection of vegetative resources in North Laidlaw Park •Maintaining a road network suitable for aggressive fire suppression and restoration activities within the Monument •Encouraging outfitter and guide services in the expanded portion of the Monument, instead of new agency-provided services and facilities •Promoting a proactive Integrated Weed Management Program •Proactively protecting and restoring sagebrush steppe vegetative communities •Continuing to focus visitor experience within the Monument on the existing facilities located at the north end of the Monument •Continuing management of the wilderness area within the original National Monument boundary and the wilderness study areas that are awaiting Congressional action.
Any person who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that may be adversely affected, may protest the decisions made on BLM-administered lands. This protest must be filed with the Director of the Bureau of Land Management within 30 days of the date of the EPA publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register (August 26). For more information about the protest procedures, contact Gary Wyke, Idaho State Office BLM (208-373-3803).
Copies of the document were mailed to those who previously participated in the planning process and will also be available at public libraries in American Falls, Arco, Burley, Carey, Hailey, Idaho Falls, Rupert, Shoshone and Twin Falls. Additional copies are available upon request, either in hardbound copy or electronic compact disk, by contacting the Idaho BLM Shoshone Field Office (208-732-7200). The Proposed Plan may also be viewed on-line at: www.id.blm.gov/planning/index.htm or www.nps.gov/crmo.
Established in 1924, the Craters of the Moon National Monument was expanded from 54,000 to more than 750,000 acres by Presidential Proclamation on November 9, 2000, for the purpose of protecting the entire Great Rift volcanic zone and associated lava features. The BLM and NPS are managing the Monument cooperatively and are preparing one management plan to be implemented by both agencies. |
